How about physician-assisted suicide?
Introduction. Some current issues include abortion, euthanasia, and assisted-suicide (another name for euthanasia). Our good question concerns assisted-suicide. I understand eight people have died in Oregon with help from doctors under Oregon's assisted-suicide law since the law took effect October of 1997. Doctor's prescribed lethal drugs to the eight patients which resulted in their death.
Murder is forbidden. The scriptures forbid murder. This is the meaning of Exodus 20: 13, "Thou shalt not kill" (cf. Rom. 13: 9). Those who thus take human life should forfeit their own life (Gen. 9: 6). The verse is plain as well as the reason: "whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man."
Suicide, self-murder, is prohibited. If taking the life of another is forbidden since man is made in the image of God, there is no exception for "mercy killing", would not taking one's own life be wrong for the same reason? If now, why not? In Acts chapter sixteen, we read of a man who was going to murder himself (Acts 16: 27, see vss. 16-34). Notice what was told him: "But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, do thyself no harm; for we are all here" (vs. 28).
Conclusion. Please understand I am not addressing the artificial sustaining of life purely by life-support machines and the choice to cease such suspension. Our question regards assisted-suicide. The example accompanying the question concerns doctors injecting a lethal dose into the person. If murder and suicide are wrong, would not assisted-suicide be wrong? Our heart goes out to people who have terminally ill loved ones who are suffering. However, we can not endorse assisted-suicide. This issue will become more common, I predict.
Murder is forbidden. The scriptures forbid murder. This is the meaning of Exodus 20: 13, "Thou shalt not kill" (cf. Rom. 13: 9). Those who thus take human life should forfeit their own life (Gen. 9: 6). The verse is plain as well as the reason: "whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man."
Suicide, self-murder, is prohibited. If taking the life of another is forbidden since man is made in the image of God, there is no exception for "mercy killing", would not taking one's own life be wrong for the same reason? If now, why not? In Acts chapter sixteen, we read of a man who was going to murder himself (Acts 16: 27, see vss. 16-34). Notice what was told him: "But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, do thyself no harm; for we are all here" (vs. 28).
Conclusion. Please understand I am not addressing the artificial sustaining of life purely by life-support machines and the choice to cease such suspension. Our question regards assisted-suicide. The example accompanying the question concerns doctors injecting a lethal dose into the person. If murder and suicide are wrong, would not assisted-suicide be wrong? Our heart goes out to people who have terminally ill loved ones who are suffering. However, we can not endorse assisted-suicide. This issue will become more common, I predict.